Southeast Steuben County Library spending plan increase goes to vote Tuesday. What to know

Corning-Painted Post school district residents will vote Tuesday on a proposed $1.5 million Southeast Steuben County Library spending plan geared to allow the library to maintain facility infrastructure and community needs.

Pauline Emery, library director, said if the proposed budget is adopted, the spending plan would increase from $911,119 to $1,479,119. Voting will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at several Corning-Painted Post School District voting locations. Residents will also vote on the Corning-Painted Post school budget and school board races.

"If this proposition passes, a home with an assessed value of $100,000 would pay approximately $52.86 per year,” Emery said. “That is equivalate to a dollar a week. Your library makes a difference. People learn here, have fun here, and connect here. Strong libraries make strong communities.”

Emery said in 2023, 136,790 people visited the library, over 7,000 people attended programs, 141,558 books were checked out, over 56,000 e-digital items were used, and Wi-Fi use was 51,959.

“I share this information with you because your library is alive and busier than ever,” Emery said.

Emery said if approved by voters, homeowners would pay about 53 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to support the library.

In 2024 the library funding was $911,119. The cost to the taxpayer for a $100,000 home was $35.22, Emery said. Under the proposed spending plan, should it pass, the library funding would be $1,479,119. The cost to taxpayers for a $100,000 home would be $52.86.

“That is an annual increase of $17.46 (for a home with an assessed value of $100,000),” Emery said. "The library has always had a bare bones budget while still maintaining all New York state required mandates and providing quality materials and services.”

Guest Viewpoint: Southeast Steuben County library is vital asset, deserves voter support

Emery said 42% of the library’s current $1.5 million operational budget is covered by the library and 58% is covered by public tax funds.

“The library has not asked for a tax cap override in over nine years,” Emery said. “We are asking that public funding support more of our operational budget to allow for sustainability.”

Emery said the library has known for years that it is underfunded in comparison to similar libraries in New York state.

“Our library is considered a medium sized library based on budget and population served (30,000-50,000),” Emery said. “Medium sized libraries receive public funding at 90% or over. We have the lowest public funding support at 58%."

More: C-PP school budget up 6.3%. What to know about Corning area spending plans before May vote

If the proposition does not pass, the library levy remains at $911,119. In that scenario, the library would be forced to reduce programming and services and need to rely heavily on its endowment, negatively impacting the library’s future sustainability, said Emery.

This article originally appeared on The Leader: Southeast Steuben County Library asking C-PP voters for spending bump